Seoul: Arrested former President Yoon Suk Yeol once more declined to appear for questioning by a special counsel team on Monday concerning his unsuccessful martial law attempt. Yoon, who has been detained at the Seoul Detention Center following his second arrest last Thursday, was requested to present himself at the special counsel's office for questioning scheduled at 2 p.m.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon's legal team communicated that they had previously submitted a statement of absence and were unaware of any changes in circumstances that would compel his attendance. He had initially been summoned for questioning last Friday afternoon but did not show up after providing a written justification for his absence to special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team, citing health concerns.

The special counsel team, however, verified through officials at the detention facility that Yoon does not suffer from any health issues severe enough to hinder his participation in the questioning. Observers suggest that the team may proceed to the Seoul Detention Center later in the day to enforce his appearance.

Yoon was apprehended early Thursday after a court issued a warrant for his arrest on five significant charges, including alleged violations of the rights of Cabinet members by selectively convening a meeting just before declaring martial law on December 3. Cho's team also accused the former president of fabricating a false martial law declaration document post-December 3 to legitimize his actions, having it signed by then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and subsequently discarding it.

Further allegations against Yoon include instructing the presidential spokesperson for foreign press to issue false statements following the martial law attempt, directing the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to obstruct his detention by investigators in early January, and ordering the PSS to delete call records from secure phones used by three military commanders.

This marks the second arrest for Yoon. The first occurred in January while he was still in office, but a court later accepted his appeal to annul the arrest, resulting in his release in March.